Theme · ethical
Wealth and Poverty
The law builds protections for the poor into Israel's economic structure: gleaning rights, the Sabbath year, and the Jubilee. The Psalms and Proverbs observe that wealth can be a blessing or a snare, and that the LORD hears the cry of the poor. The prophets denounce the wealthy who exploit the powerless. Jesus teaches that it is hard for the rich to enter the kingdom, blesses the poor, and warns against storing up treasures on earth. The early church shares possessions radically, and James rebukes those who show favoritism to the rich while despising the poor.
Related doctrines
Passages expressing this theme
- 1Chr 29:12 — Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.
- 1Sam 2:7 — The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.
- 1Tim 6:5 — Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
- 1Tim 6:6 — But godliness with contentment is great gain.
- 1Tim 6:9 — But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
- 1Tim 6:10 — For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
- 1Tim 6:17 — Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
- 1Tim 6:18 — That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
- 1Tim 6:19 — Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
- 2Cor 8:9 — For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
- 2Cor 9:7 — Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
- Acts 20:35 — I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
- Amos 2:6 — Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;
- Amos 4:1 — Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink.
- Amos 5:11 — Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, bu
- Deut 8:17 — And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.
- Deut 8:18 — But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.
- Deut 14:29 — And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that t
- Deut 15:7 — If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor bro
- Deut 15:11 — For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.
- Deut 24:19 — When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that
- Eccl 4:8 — There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I
- Eccl 5:10 — He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.
- Eccl 5:13 — There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.
- Eph 4:28 — Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
The Church Fathers on Wealth and Poverty
If riches and poverty are from the Lord, how can either poverty or riches be an evil? Why then were these things said? They were said under the Old Covenant, where there was much account made of wealth, where there was great contempt of poverty, where the one was a curse and the other a blessing. But now it is no…
Now poverty is a light thing to those who possess it, and if a man were to call the poverty which is for the sake of God "riches," he would call it rightly, and even as it is. Therefore our Lord also lifted a heavy yoke from His disciples in that He made them destitute of the riches of the world, saying, "Come unto…
The unreliability of excessive wealth may edify even to the point of eliciting contempt of corporal riches. Wealth is unstable. It is like a wave accustomed to change back and forth due to the violence of the wind. One might suppose that the people of Israel are rich, since they have the adoption of sons and divine…
The rich and the poor meet together. In what way, except in this present life? The rich and the poor are born alike. You meet one another as you walk along the way together. The poor must not defraud the rich; the rich must not oppress the poor. The one has need, the other has plenty, but "the Lord is the maker of…
After this he provides explanation and advice for those condemned to a life of poverty and worn out through the arrogance of the rich.… Do not consider present prosperity any great thing, he is saying: wealth that catches all eyes is not lasting; those who raise their eyebrows and are puffed up at it will shortly…
Of poverty--the affliction which actually or potentially includes all other afflictions--I would not dare to speak as from myself; and those who reject Christianity will not be moved by Christ's statement that poverty is blessed. But here a rather remarkable fact comes to my aid. Those who would most scornfully…